Trust?
by LadyJessYU
Summary: Lena's reluctant to believe Supergirl or reluctant to believe she would look past the Luthor name.
1. Chapter 1

The night sky above National City was clear. Like on a postcard, the Moon was illuminating the park spread in front of the building. Lena was relaxing, breathing in the cool air, eyes following the 'guardian angel' who occasionally whizzed by watching over the city. When this quiet, everything seemed perfect. Perfect for a fresh start. If only her brother would allow her that and stop trying to kill her.

She was nursing the second glass of wine when she realized Supergirl was getting closer. It was a matter of time, she supposed. All things considered, Lena thought they would have had this kind of encounter days ago. After all, Superman was flying around the city as well. She begrudgingly placed the glass down and got up from the lounging chair. As if it's an armor, she wrapped the silk bathrobe tightly.

Supergirl landed soundlessly on the balcony. Lena wondered why she chose to stand so far. It wasn't as if she could harm the alien. Not without the kryptonite.

"Sorry to drop in like this, if you-"

"What took you so long?" she interrupted adding her trademark smirk. Completely fake but a good defense technique, she learned long time ago.

"You shot a man." her voice was resonating but not accusatory.

What was that? God, was she trying to be all fair and righteous with a Luthor? 'He was going to shoot me. And that woman.' was her impulse response. But Lena was taught to curve her impulses. Think, observe, manipulate, "And you were worried I enjoyed it?"

"I was worried it took a toll on you."

A throaty chuckle escaped her, "I've seen worse." that, definitively was true. But she never shot to kill before… Hens, the wine. She took a step towards her uninvited guest, "Now, ask me what you really want to know."

She quirked her eyebrows. There was something familiar in the expression.

"Whether I inherited the infamous Luthor madness?"

"I thought you were adopted."

Well, wasn't she quite informed? Not that it was a secret, "Nurture is a powerful thing. Perhaps it overrode the genetics?" the line of accusation was familiar, she'd heard it all (she'd questioned that herself many times). She turned away from Supergirl and went for the wine. Every time she mentioned her biological parents (good people do not dump a baby behind a criminal-infested nightclub), the urge to drown those thoughts in alcohol emerged.

"I like to think we all choose who we want to be."

"Did you get that wisdom from a fortune cookie?" she finished the wine in one gulp, "I have an early meeting tomorrow. Would you mind… flying off?"

After a long pause (was there a resigned sigh? Probably not.), Lena heard, "Thank you for saving my- that agent."

Lena walked back inside like nothing happened.

* * *

Living in a penthouse was incredible. She liked the luxury and comfort and there was nothing wrong with that. However, she wished she'd spent more time there. If she did, she would have noticed earlier that she didn't have a coffee maker. So maybe she woke up a bit hangover because she had maybe drunk a bit more of that wine after the encounter with Supergirl.

"Take me to decent coffee." she ordered the driver that morning.

Once the car finally (finally!) stopped she put on the sunglasses (why was it always so cheerfully sunny in National City?) covering half of her face, stepped out and in front of a charming little cafe. Like an addict, she rushed for her dose of caffeine, disregarding everything around her.

That turned out to be a colossal mistake on her part. She collided with someone; there was a sound of things dropping, then a splash… a splash of hot liquid on her new shoes, "Seriously?!" she was glaring at a blonde girl collecting her belongings mumbling apologies in the process.

Lena looked around, the customers were staring, some of them had their phones pointed at them. Great. She couldn't wait to see what the press would do with that. And she was just starting to repair the Luthor image. So Lena did what she had to –she fixed one of her public smiles and kneeled to help the girl. After picking up the rest of the papers the girl looked at her. And there, behind the glasses was the inquisitive, non-reporter Kara Danvers. A smile appeared on Lena's lips, a real one, "Miss Danvers?"

"Oh, Miss… Miss Luthor, I am so sorry!" all things collected, they were getting up now.

Lena did not tear her eyes from Kara, but the sound of the crowd disappointed by the lack of scandal did reach her ears, "No, it's my fault. Completely." she ran her hand over Kara's upper arm for assurance.

"I…" she shrugged and fixed her glasses, "It's no big deal. It happens to me all the time."

"Let me make it up to you. Please."

They were sat in the booth in the corner. Lena was observing Kara fidgeting, tapping her fingers against the paper cup. She wasn't aware of the strand of hair that escaped her ponytail. Lena liked it, she wondered what Kara would look like with her hair down. Though it was difficult to imagine the buttoned-up, cardigan-wearing girl let loose… not fully buttoned-up, Lena noticed as she glazed down the blonde's neckline. One button loosened upon impact. Only then did something catch her eye, a reporter's ID card, "So, you do want my opinion on high-waisted jeans?"

Kara leaned back, staring at her like a confused puppy. Usually that would annoy Lena but for some reason she found it charming.

"You're a reporter." she glanced down at the ID card again.

"Oh, no! I mean, yes…" she took a deep breath and smiled, "I am sort of a reporter. Now. I wasn't then. But I haven't had anything published so I'm not a real reporter yet... It's only my second day, though."

"Congratulations, anyway. Maybe one day I'll have the honor of being interviewed by you."

"I think it's the other way around, but thanks. How are you liking National City?"

"Well, if you disregard couple of assassination attempts, it's quite lovely. Perfect actually for rebranding my company."

She quirked her eyebrows, "How so?"

"If I can be accepted in Supergirl's city, I can have a chance of a somewhat normal life."

"It sounds a bit like you don't like Supergirl."

"You misunderstood." though, only in part, "Living in the shadow of Lex's crimes has forced a link between myself and Superman and by extent Supergirl. I don't handle well being forced. Now, every good I do will amount to nothing if I do not have their approval. "

When Kara's hand covered hers, the bubbling anger in her was starting to quell. What was it that made this now reporter's presence affect her in such way?

"Why do you-"

Lena pushed the chair and stood up. 'You're strong, sis. Never let anyone doubt that.' The fake smile was back, "Now, Miss Danvers if you want me to answer your questions you'll have to schedule an interview."

"I didn't mean it like that." she said and Lena believed her wholeheartedly.

"You're cute. So I'll tell you… I go both ways."

Kara blushed and tilted her head. She opened her mouth but nothing came out.

"On the topic of high waisted-jeans." she clarified, all innocent like.

Kara laughed. Like a ray of sunshine that was, "Great… I'll have that in mind."

* * *

"I think we got off on the wrong foot."

Lena didn't even flinch at the sound, like it was natural to have nightly visits from the resident superhero, "First time we met you saved my life. Second time I saved the life of an agent of yours. It's hard to get off on the more right foot, wouldn't you say?"

"But you don't like me?"

She should team up with Kara Danvers, "I'm trying to rise above the circumstances of my birth and form an opinion based on experience. You should do that too, however ill-advised it may seem in this particular case. "

"Do you always presume to know everything?" there was teasing in her voice. Supergirl was full of surprises.

"Yes." she smirked as she resumed her menial task of rearranging the books.

Supergirl swung her head to the left, "I have to go." and without waiting for response, with the gush of wind she was gone.

That was that. Lena sighed, she wasn't disappointed. She was not. Butting heads with the young woman was not something she found enjoyable.

She flopped on the sofa and turned on the TV. The news about the roaring fire in the suburbs was playing. Flames were swallowing houses, people were screaming. The firemen were helpless. Then _she_ appeared. She burst into a house which suddenly collapsed on her. Lena ignored the irrational fear that took over her being. It was completely without bases of course since a few seconds later Supergirl appeared with a child safe in her arms. Lena was being ridiculous. Angrily, she turned of the TV and tossed the remote aside. It bounced off the cushion and onto the floor. Instead of a thump, a now familiar gush of wind happened.

Supegirl was standing in front of her - a half smile on her lips, remote in one hand and pizza in other, "Getting to know someone is always better with food."

She came back! Full of surprises indeed, "Fine." she complied as Supergirl's smile grew, "But only because I'm starving."

Supergirl was eagerly waiting for Lena to set the table. She placed a slice of pizza in front of her and Supergirl went for it immediately.

Lena was watching her with curiosity. It was amazing how… normal she was. Lena's knowledge of Kryptonians came primarily from bias source, so this shouldn't have been that fascinating.

She must have been staring because her guest suddenly froze, pizza hovering midair, "Flying takes a lot of energy." she explained awkwardly.

Lena lowered her gaze towards her own plate, "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

"What are you doing?"

"What?"

Supergirl pointed to the knife and fork in Lena's hands. She was a lady from the Luthor family, table manners were carved into her brain. 'Even at the dining table, you should show that we weren't wrong to make you a Luthor' her step father would often reprimand. But, Supergil had the point. She put down the cutlery and took the greasy slice.

Supergirl was now the one watching with curiosity.

"It's good." she admitted after the first bite.

The blonde hooted triumphantly.

God, that superhero appeal was really strong. Maybe it's the whole savior/victim thing (though, Lena refused to wear the mark). Or maybe it was the pull towards something diametrically different from herself. They broke eye contact and ate the rest in silence. Admittedly, Lena did throw a glance or two at her guest. And she did notice the flexing of the biceps and the way her honeycomb hair was falling over her shoulders.

"I left the pizza place's leaflet on the table. If you want to order some time."

"I will. They sure have speedy delivery."

Supergirl smiled again. Lena realized she liked it very much, especially when she was causing it. "I try… and I kind of want you to like me."

I kind of want you to like me, too. she thought, "Why?"

"I think it could be interesting. And you…" she appeared distracted, "And you want to fight for good and… uh, I really have to go. Duty calls."

This time she didn't whoosh away.

"I understand." Lena nodded, "I hope you'll finish that thought these days."

"Me too." and with that she was gone.

Lena bit the inside of her cheek to hide the smile even from herself. If Lex saw her now, he would kill her with his bare hands.

The next evening, Supergirl didn't show up. Not that Lena was waiting; she just stayed up until midnight going over some proposals. And there was no sight of Supergirl for the rest of the week. Not even on TV, and the city had its fair share of news worthy crises. Maybe she was taking a break since Superman was still around. It seemed unlike her, then again Lena didn't really know her… and she didn't have the time to ponder on why some blonde didn't show up on her balcony. She had the company to run, the name to rebrand. And Mr… she checked the card again, Mr. Blake would help her with that.

She pressed the button on the intercom, "Send him in, Emily"

Promptly, a tall dark haired man entered her office.

"Mr. Blake." she extended her hand and smiled. His palm was sweaty, "I'm so glad we have the chance to talk."

He stuffed his hands in coat pockets and nodded.

Getting right down to business, she was browsing through his credentials, "The youngest head of PR in the state? Impressive." she looked up from the file and straight into the gun barrel. Remembering the drill, her hand was slowly reaching for the panic button under the desk.

"Don't you dare." he growled, "Get up."

She complied immediately and put her hands where he could see them. Better not test him again,"Mr. Blake… I don't… if you want money-"

"I don't want your blood money! But I do want you to pay. Your brother killed my family." she jerked as the words hit her, "And now I'll kill you."

"I know you-"

"You don't know." his voice was raspy, at the verge of breaking.

He wasn't the coldblooded assassin on Lex's payroll, but an unbalanced man. Collateral damage of her brother's war. But he was right. She didn't know anything. The intercom buzzed. Lena jumped at the sound. The odd mixture of dread and hope overwhelmed her.

Blake waved the gun at it, "Get rid of them. Quickly."

Her hands were shaking and it took her three times to get the button, "Yes?"

"I'm sorry to interrupt Miss Luthor but there is a Miss Danvers from CatCo asking about an interview."

Kara? She shouldn't be here. Not now. "Next week! Tell her… tell her I will let her know."

"Yes, Miss Luthor."

:And Emily." Blake pressed the cold metal against her collar bone. She gasped, "Take the rest of the day off. I'm going home after this meeting."

"Yes, Miss Luthor."

"Good." her captor huffed as the line went dead. The stench of alcohol hit her, "Now, where were we?"

Lena remained motionless as her heart was raging inside the ribcage.

"It's time to send your brother a message."

"He won't care." she cried out in despair, "I'm not… I'm not like him. He wants me dead."

"Lies!"

"You'll just be doing him a favor. And no one else."

He must have felt the sincerity of her words because he began to hesitate. He pressed his palms against his temple and was now audibly wailing. It was now or never. Lena looked around and came to realize she hated the minimalist design. There was nothing at hand but the small, fragile lamp. She grabbed it and aimed it at his head.

To somewhat protect herself from the impact she shut her eyes, but it never came. The lamp fell on the floor. That was it, she was about to die. She was afraid to open her eyes, staring death in the face was not something she'd like to relive. He was touching her arm now and she immediately was wriggling away, she would never let that happen to her. Never.

"It's ok." she heard a soft tone.

Supergirl! Lena realized and allowed herself to look. She'd swooped in, disarmed and knocked down the assailant in a matter of seconds. Probably faster. She'd showed up out of nowhere and saved her again.

Lena pushed her hand away, "What are you doing here?" she demanded, willing her voice to be steady.

"I… there was that guy." she pointed to the unconscious Blake, "…and the gun pointed at you… I mean, is obvious why I'm here."

"I was handling it."

"Didn't seem like it from where I was standing." she retorted matter-of-factly. A color Lena thought superheroes didn't possess.

"You mean from where you were spying on me?"

She huffed, "What? Why would I…what?!"

"Keep your friends close and your enemies closer – and you're not sure which one I am."

"I…" There was a pause and to Lena that was enough to claim she was right, "Don't smile like that. It's my job to know these danger things."

She stepped into Supergirl's personal space and the blonde didn't budge. She smelled like lavender and honey. Lena pressed the intercom, "Emily? Are you still here?"

"Yes, Miss Lutor." came an immediate response.

"Come into my office, please."

It would be an understatement to say Emily was shocked upon entering the office. Her half annoyed and more-pale-than-usual boss was standing next to Supergirl who was smiling sweetly at the newcomer. And to top it all, the nice man was passed out on the floor.

"Would you mind calling the police to escort Mr. Blake to the station? And paramedics, just in case." she requested calmly.

"Um…" she started but couldn't verbalize the thought, so she nodded and rushed out.

"Do you have to wait for the police?" she asked Supergirl.

"I'd prefer to."

"Fine." she sighed. All this craziness was making her suddenly flushed, "I'll go freshen up."

Lena leaned heavily against the door of her in-built bathroom and exhaled. She was not good at handling this. Lex sending people to kill her was somewhat expected, she could deal with that. But this desperate man… that was something else. She pushed herself off the door and looked in the mirror. God, she was a mess. Why was she doing this? Atoning for something she never did? She should have taken the money and spent the rest of her days on some tropical island.

A knocking stopped the train of depressive thoughts. The police was quick, "What?"

"Can I…" Suergirl started meekly, "Can I come in?"

Lena quickly brushed the smeared mascara and smoothed her sleek hair. Sure, it was hell of the day anyway and it was only 11.30. Another chat with Supergirl won't make any difference.

The moment the door clicked she answered, "Yes, I am fine. No, I did nothing to that man. His vendetta against Lex just took the wrong turn."

"I know it isn't your fault."

"Will you drop the act already?!" her shout rang in the confined space, "You're you and I'm a Luthor. We shouldn't be talking like this. It's not normal and I don't trust that you could ever trust me."

She blinked the confusion away, "Trust is something that is earned. And I'd like to believe someday we'll get there."

Lena stared at her. A beacon of hope personified.

"And just to clarify, It's not the act, it's superhearing so that's how I know what he said. Also, I _am_ nice. In an endearing way, many say."

Lena pulled her closer by the arm, "I am under a lot of stress." she was trying to rationalize while simultaneously remembering to breathe, "Adrenaline is working like crazy. My mind is foggy and you really should leave before I do something reckless."

The words, however, did not have the desired effect and Supergirl inched closer which only revealed to Lena that Supergirl's sky blue eyes had a hint of green in them. Those eyes narrowed trying to decipher the meaning behind Lena's words. That prompted Lena into doing the thing she really, really shouldn't. She wrapped her fingers around the nape of Supergirl's neck and crashed her lips against hers. Despite them being so soft and unexpectedly responsive, Lena knew she shouldn't have been doing this. And even when she felt herself being yanked by the blazer, one body pressed firmly against the other, she knew it would end and what then? Stop! The voice in her foggy mind was screaming. And she did. She allowed reason to prevail and pushed the girl of steel away like she was nothing. The look on her face was one of utter shock, "I have to go… and wait for the authorities."

She bolted into the hallway where the secretary was. What the hell was that?!


	2. Chapter 2

"We have some unfinished business." the panting voice startled reached Lena.

It appeared she should definitively steer clear of her balcony for the foreseeable future, "What you're doing is called trespa-"

She felt herself levitate, the force so powerful yet gentle took control over her. It was terrifyingly exciting, the sensation of defying gravity. She hit the banister with a gasp. Breathing became difficult and the little thinking power she possessed was extinguished by Supergirl's lips on her neck. To allow more access she pushed her head back while the unaware city beneath them was bustling. Her lips were trailing the line of her jaw painfully slowly. The fingers skillfully untied her robe and she felt the resonating heath increase. This sudden intensity was not something she experienced before. She wondered if it had something to do with the non-human side, "Who are you, really?" she asked as if her whole future depended on the answer. But instead, she felt the smirk on the blonde's lips as she was kissing her. Then she moved down, the fingertips were tracing her milk white skin and wet kisses followed close. Lena gripped the handrail tightly. If she let go she just might fall apart.

"She'll never trust you, sis." the familiar voice broke the magic. She saw him standing there, hands clasped in front of him, look of genuine concern on his face. He gestured to her right hand, "It can't end well."

Her throat became dry, she looked and there in her hand was long, sharp, green, glistening dagger. Her body was moving on its own accord. She tugged the blonde by the hair and pressed the blade against her throat. Her tear filled eyes emulated fear and betrayal.

"Why are you doing this to me?" she strained the words together. Lena could feel the strength leaving her body.

"Because I'm a Luthor, alien." she heard herself say. The voice was shrieking with madness, "And we Luthors stick together." Her hand swiftly cut through the neck, hot blood was pouring down her arm, damping her sleeve in sticky liquid. The girl fell with a thump. That freed Lena from the invisible puppeteer and she released a cry of horror.

She jolted up from the dream. The flashing lights of the TV were illuminating the room. Lena was staring at her empty, manicured hands, turning them, inspecting every inch. They were clean, but the sticky sensation was still there and she could almost smell the coppery scent of blood. She stumbled into the bathroom, still dizzy from the sudden movements. Unwilling to look herself in the mirror she watched cold water run through her fingers.

The entrance to L-Corp was crawling with reporters. The driver (she really should have hired a bodyguard but she loathed the idea of people thinking she could not handle things herself) barely managed to shield her from the cameras and mics being shoved into her face.

"I've issued a statement." she commented over the shouts, "And that is all I have to say on the matter. "

She relished the silence that ensued upon entering the building. The nosy reporters became just the background noise. She was enjoying the clicking sound of her heels as she was walking to the elevator.

The elevator door opened upon reaching the intended floor and her eyes fell on her secretary's desk where she was chatting animatedly with Kara Danvers… Quite resourceful, Lena thought and was somehow glad that if any reporter was to get to her it would be young Miss Danvers.

The two women immediately noticed her presence. Emily hopped on her feet and fixed her professional look. Kara's gaze was shifting everywhere, and she was visibly blushing. It was endearing, if a bit confusing. But Lena knew what effect she had on people. Her piercing eyes, in combination with ebony hair and pale skin sure did make her stand out. The money and the influential name were usually predominate factor. However, last time Kara didn't seem at all intimidated, nor was she acting awkwardly. Not in the way she was now. What'd changed?

Lena walked to the desk and handed the documents to Emily "These need to be sent to the Central City branch. Today."

She took the papers and nodded.

"Miss Danvers, follow me."

"Um…" she heard as she was striding into her office.

Lena sat behind her desk, ruffling through some files, "I'm surprised to see you all the way up here."

Kara was standing in the middle of the room, fiddling with the hem of her sunny yellow dress, "I was in the neighborhood." She mumbled.

"And how did you get all the way up here? I'm impressed, don't get me wrong, but as of yesterday reporters aren't allowed here."

"Well, I'm… I'm not here as a reporter. To be honest, I don't know if I am one. Miss Grant's gone, I don't even have a chair and Mr. Carr sent my article back and…" she fixed her glasses, "And I am not here to talk about that. I'm here on a personal note."

"Oh?" Lena slid off her chair and approached the reporter.

Kara looked away again, "I wanted to see how you were doing. After yesterday."

"You should know better than most that not everything plastered on the front pages is the truth. He was a desperate man out of choices, I guess."

"There's always a choice, Miss Luthor. We all chose who we want to be."

Lena tilted her head; an odd sense of déjà vu took over her. She shook herself out of it.

"I mean…" Kara took a step back, "It's not like people are born bad."

"Some people are." she forced a nonchalant smile, "And there's nothing you can do to change that."

"What's he like?" Kara's gaze softened even more as she took her hand, "Off the record." she whispered as if she could read Lena's mind.

Lena squeezed her hand gently. There was something about the feeling she couldn't quite place.

"I loved Lex deeply, Kara." she admitted, "Part of me still does. But he doesn't know how to." she pressed her lips in a thin line. It was hard to say these things out loud, "For years I'd been mistaking his overprotectiveness and control for love… Oh" she turned away and walked over to the window. A strained chuckled escaped her. "I'm a mess, aren't I?"

"I've seen worse."

"You've seen some crazy things, then." she turned back and crossed her arms, "I'm sorry you had to witness this. A lot's happened in the last 24 hours, I needed to vent… and it feels like you understand."

"I do." she took one step forward but then something seemed to make her change her mind, "If you ever need to talk…"

Truly grateful, Lena nodded, "Thank you, Miss Danvers."

Apart from confirming her hypothesis that Kara Danvers had the warmest heart that could shine through Lena's cold exterior, she realized that she really needed something to help her vent. She couldn't just pour her heart out every time she saw Kara… or jump Supergirl… She couldn't bring herself to think about anything Supergirl related. Luckily, her building had state of the art gym and a great trained that was not talkative (which Lena appreciated greatly). She was punching and kicking, the bag was taking many forms of all the people who tried to hurt her. Working on improving self defense technique was something she should have done a long time ago. The trainer was pushing her to her limits and she collapsed onto bed completely exhausted.

It did her good and she soon found a rhythm her life desperately lacked. She would wake up, have coffee, go to work (where on a good day nobody tried to kill her), have quick lunch and finish the day with a session at the gym. It felt right, she needed to be with herself and get her life together. However, reality had other plans. She was to attend a charity dinner which was amazing for the company but arduous for Lena.

She has been hiding in the bathroom for the good 20 minutes. 'You should invest in my organization, it would be good publicity. And profit is guaranteed.', 'I hope you've got your father's talent for business. Lionel was a great man.', 'Do you visit your brother? I hear they let him out of solitary once a month.', 'It's incredible that Supergirl is always here to save all even people like you.' was all people talked to her about. Exploitation, gossip and veiled resentment – that was what she was getting.

'No because you're a corrupt fraud.' 'He is not my father.' 'No.' and 'Maybe you're right.' were the things she wanted to say. Instead she opted for the non distinct comment or a smile and nod; that always worked. She was a business woman, a damn good one. If it wasn't for the results, people wouldn't have dared to take a risk and venture into an enterprise with her.

She pushed the wavy hair to the side and retouched the red lipstick which complemented her emerald dress. Now that she looked the part, it was time to return to the jungle.

"I was afraid you've left and I'd missed a chance to speak to you." the moment she stepped back into the room, a man approached her, handing her a glass of champagne.

"Oh, you know us women and our make-up rituals." she smiled as the glasses clinked.

"And you are one fine specimen of a woman, Lena."

"What is it that you wanted to talk to me about?" he was a major shareholder in the company, and a major chauvinist.

"I was just wondering something about Lex."

Of course. What else was new? "I have no contact with him whatsoever, Thomas. I've told you that."

"I know dear. No need to make a fuss."

If only she could punch that condescending smirk off his face.

"I just going over some things the other day and I stumbled upon a few notes mentioning Cadmus. Do you know what or who that might be?"

"Are you referring to notes that should have been handed to the authorities a year ago?"

"Oh, I did, of course I handed them in, and they've returned them to me. As you well know I am one of the few law-abiding associates of your family. And a friend. But the name sounds familiar."

Over the rim of her glass, she fixed her gaze on him. Half the words coming out of that man's mouth were complete bullshit, "Not to me… must be something irrelevant then since you got them back."

He was studying her face for a few moments, looking for a tell. But she was in her element - in the business world Lena had no tell. The confirmation came when Thomas' gaze gilded down her curves, "Must be. Enough shop talk, let's dance."

Lena slid the glass on to the passing waiter. "Let's."

The uncomfortable dance (decorated by a few gossips from her partner) seemed to last for hours. She then mingled for a little while longer, made couple of acquaintances until it was finally appropriate for her to leave.

Lena kicked off the heels as she stepped into her hallway. The relief was precious. But the night was not over yet. She strode into her room and opened the closet door. Hidden behind the pile of clothes was a carton box. She opened it, the box of memories. There were early gifts from Lex, a couple of photos, still the most precious being the one of prematurely departed Lillian (the only mother figure in Lena's life). On top of the pile was a teddy bear. When you pressed its paw it would play a sweet lullaby. Callously, refusing to let memories overwhelm her, she ripped open the place where the batteries were supposed to be. She took out the flash drive and shoved the box in the back of the closet.

Lena checked the entire apartment twice before opening the flash drive. You could never be too careful with these things. It had been her final moment of weakness. Lex had given her the drive and the key to the safe deposit box nobody knew existed. She had given the key to the agent in charge and thus information for two out of five live sentences Lex had got. She hadn't given them the drive (to this day she could not figure out what possessed her). She had opened it once but only skimmed through it believing not knowing was the best. Not wanting anything to do with her brother's past or present, she buried this information deep.

And when Thomas mentioned Cadmus, it all clicked. It didn't take long to find it – Project Cadmus. A project involving genetic engineering and cloning. She found small but certainly not insignificant connection to LuthorCorp. It seemed Lex had provided them with equipment at some point couple of years ago. The information on the project was not detailed but it was enough to make Lena's stomach turn. People turned into cyborgs, injected with radioactive material and strength enhancement drugs, prosthetics used as weapons, attempts of making kryptonite like substance… she shut the laptop close.

A year. She had this for an entire year and did nothing. What should she do? Call National Security or whoever's jurisdiction this all was? No. It was too late now; and withholding evidence was a crime she was not ready to answer for. But she should do the right thing… though, she's been working so hard, she couldn't toss it all away now. She was just getting started. No, she would just have to sleep on it and decide what to do in the morning. Only she couldn't sleep, she was tossing and turning waiting for the Sun to rise.

It took two days being cooped up in her room (where she reread every word and inspected every video) to pluck up the courage to do the closest thing to the right thing. There was only one person she could speak to and know they'd do what needed to be done.

She was striding confidently down the corridors of CatCo. As she was walking past one office after another she could hear hushed voices following her. She was pretending it didn't affect her but she did feel somewhat pleased with the confidence she was oozing.

"I am here to see Jimmy Olsen." she announced herself to a short redhead.

"It's James." the man said as he walked to the door. He was tall, well-built and had charming features. Not the authoritative stance the job required, to Lena's impression at least. "What brings you here, Miss Luthor? I don't remember us publishing anything controversial about you or your company." the cold shoulder he was giving her did not become him but with him being the witness of Lex's crusade on his friend Superman. the welcome was not unexpected.

"I'm not here to talk about this publication, Mr. Olsen. It's …" she glanced at the redhead who quickly returned to her task, "Confidential."

"I'm busy." he started to walk away, "Schedule an appointment."

There was no time for that, her determination to share this was dwindling. She whirled him around and hissed, "It's about Supergirl."

He looked around but things were normal. Nobody overheard her, "Come with me."

He started marching somewhere and she followed suit. Stairs and heels were not a good mix but she kept her mouth shut.

Once they found themselves on the roof he turned to her, "What do you want with Supergirl?"

She smirked, "Well I'm glad my hunch was on point." he was glaring at her. Right to the point then, "I need to contact her. Don't worry, I am not interested in carrying on with the archenemies relationship Lex and Superman have forged."

"Why do you need to speak to her?"

She huffed, "I have something that concerns her."

"You're gonna have to do better than that, Miss Luthor."

"It's about my brother's endeavors. And that is all I can say to you."

"So you want me to tell her to go and have a private meeting with the last non-incarcerated Luthor about the plans of her crazy villainous brother, "He laughed sardonically, his hands tightly wrapped in fists, "Yeah, that's not gonna happen."

We had private chats before, she wanted to retort. She straightened her creases of the pants suit. Seeing the strength of his determination she realized that maybe she had taken the wrong approach, "Duly noted, Mr. Olsen. I suppose I'll just have to find another way."

"Be careful, Miss Luthor." he warned as she was walking away.

What a waste of time. The man basically forbade her to speak to Supergirl. What was that – a messed up, modern reinterpretation of Romeo and Juliet? As if… she knew how that story ended. Lena shook the silly thoughts away and started thinking about plan B. Resourcefulness was something she prided herself in, she'd find a way.

It wouldn't be prudent to stage a crisis. She doubted luring her in under false pretences would sit well with Supergirl. And she probably wasn't checking up on her daily after that stunt she pulled. Her cheeks would turn red (which with her complexion was embarrassingly evident) at the memory but the look on Supergirl's face was a reminder enough to prove how utterly idiotic her action was.

She could just shout her name from the top of the building and hope for the best. But that would probably draw much unwanted attention.

There were devices that emitted the frequencies human ear couldn't detect. But someone with superhearing could. Yes, that was it; she grinned gleefully that evening while browsing the Internet, scribbling down the specifics. All of a sudden a gush of wind cut through her study, blowing the papers off her desk. Lena pushed the hair out of her face and looked around. Her heart was bobbling in her throat. But she was alone. She rushed outside and there was no sign of Supergirl. Disappointed, she went back inside. It was probably just the wind. She kneeled to pick up the papers. Ridiculous, that was what she was. She needed to pull herself together and control her reactions better. She threw the papers back on the desk and fell into the chair. There, reclined against the monitor was a folded piece of paper. Definitively, not one of hers. Like it would disintegrate if not handled with great care, she took it tentatively.

' _Meet me tomorrow on the rooftop at 10 p.m. S'_


	3. Chapter 3

What was the deal with rooftops and confidential meetings? It made no sense being out in the open like that. Or maybe it was just Lena's dislike of high open space. But it really was stereotypical behavior of heroes and villains alike. Rooftops, warehouses and underground layers. That was it. Ok, Lena couldn't really care less about the location choosing of anybody, she was only trying to stir her thoughts towards something not important. It was 10.06 (maybe Supergirl was somewhere celebrating the Alien Amnesty Act) and Lena still didn't know what to do and how she should act. Should she clear the air first or go straight to the point?

Just as she was about to sweep the sky once again, she was swooped off her feet and up. Her stomach dropped as she felt grip tighten around her torso. This time it was unlike her dream. Not a moment of thrill there was. The wind was whipping into her head and even burying the face in the crook of Supergirl's neck (where she once again felt the honey sweet scent) wasn't helping. Other than that, she couldn't hear a thing and she might have been screaming a little. The phrase 'clinging to someone like your life depended on it' was getting more and more literal by the second. She thought it was good that Supergirl was the girl of steel otherwise Lena might have crushed some bones.

They landed softly somewhere and it took Lena a while to realize there was no wind and that she was indeed standing on solid ground. Once her thoughts came into focus, a different sort of dizziness ensued. Her hands were shaking she clutched to her knees to stop the world from spinning. She remembered the drill. You are safe. Her dinner was threatening to come out. Just breathe. You are alive.

Supergirl's blurry face appeared through the strands of Lena's hair. She asked in a placating tone, "Are you ok?"

Lena was nodding, "I need…" she was blinking the tears away, "A moment."

Supergirl didn't press but her eyes were roaming Lena's entire body. Lena was feeling exposed. The moment she was sure she wouldn't collapse she straightened upwards.

"You shouldn't have done that." she pushed the hair back. Thank God for waterproof mascara, she thought as she turned away to wipe her cheeks.

"Someone was on the roof."

"You just swooped in like that…"

"He wasn't one of yours."

"… With no warning…"

"He's been following you all day…"

"… God! I hate the damn flying."

"Maybe longer…"

"And you-"

"Lena!"

That made the brunette stop speaking, though she was still fuming. Supergirl's words had reached her ears but only now in the silence did she register their meaning. Somebody was tracking her every move. It wasn't Lex. Lex would have been much more inconspicuous than that. It was Thomas, it had to be, "That slimy bastard." she muttered.

"Who?"

Lena drank in her surroundings. They were still in the city, on some half empty parking lot. Judging from the cars, the area was not luxurious. The old Wendy's sign with a blinking N was shining in her face.

"Are you in danger?"

"What? Of course not." Lena Luthor was no damsel in distress, "It's a paparazzo."

"He didn't seem like one, Lena." the name slipped from her lips unintentionally and she blushed at the sense of familiarity.

Lena recovered first, "It's probably a business thing."

"Rough business."

"I'm surprised your friend." she emphasized the last word. Deflecting was the weapon of her choosing at the moment, "Delivered you my request. When I left he seemed pretty determined to do everything to make sure I steer clear of you."

"He's kind of protective of me."

"Boyfriends usually are."

"Pft, boyfriend." she looked away, "He's not… we were but… he's a friend… who is a boy."

Lena raised her eyebrow, challenging her to revise the clumsy response.

"He's not. He's an actual friend."

Lena felt kind of bad for that glint of thrill that bubbled in her chest, "Then you are the only one I should apologize for…" she gestured vaguely between them, "my actions. Because I never do that without making sure it's mutual."

Despite the dim light, Supergirl was visibly blushing, "It was-"

"Out of line and it won't happen again. I apologize." she finished curtly and shoved her hands in the pockets. The drive was on her fingertips, "But I wanted to talk to you about something else."

"Yeah." she sounded disappointed by the change of subject. Or maybe that was just Lena's imagination, "James said."

"I was going through some boxes and found something of my brother's." she squeezed the flash drive and pressed her lips in a thin line. She was technically telling the truth.

Supergirl tilted her head, fixing hands on the hips.

"I thought you'd be the best person to turn to. It's about some definitively illegal experiments." she took out the drive, "Project Cadmus, it's called."

It two swift strides, the blonde was right in front of her, "Are you sure?"

It was something. Something big. Lena could hear the badly veiled urgency, "You know what it is?" Supergirl looked away. Of course she wouldn't tell her. She wasn't an idiot. Lena on the other hand figured she was one, for feeling like she was being dumped. She held up the drive, "It doesn't have names but enough pictures and videos."

Supergirl stared at the offer for a while. Her eyes shifted to Lena's. The air became laden with something that was also fighting inside the blonde. Lena wasn't sure if she should let herself believe that part of it was desire. Maybe she was just reflecting her own inner struggle. When the hero took hold of the drive Lena didn't let go.

"I played no part in this." she assured her.

"I jumped to conclusion recently about someone. I try not to do that again."

It was a promise. It was a chance. The one Lena wouldn't want to miss.

Then again, there was that nagging voice in Lena's head assessing, evaluating connecting the dots. Something was there but it was like Lena had cover over her eyes. Don't be a fool, she reprimanded herself. Her hand, albeit reluctantly, slipped away from Supergirl's and back into the pocket and she looked around again, "Where are we?"

"Oh, yeah." she huffed, "Sorry about that." she gave her hand to Lena but remembering what had happened she pulled it back, "Maybe cab is a better idea."

"I think so, too."

Apparently Supergirl had a cell phone hidden God-knows-where in that tight costume of hers. They were waiting on the desolate curb together in silence. All things considered it wasn't as awkward as Lena would have thought. Supergirl was swaying to and front, happy to do the waiting. Lena, on the other hand, wasn't used to it and had to force herself not to reveal any sign of vexation. When the little rundown cab halted in front of them, Supergirl opened the door for Lena (of course she did).

Not sure if she should say something more she just mumbled a thank you. The cab however didn't move once she got in. She looked over at Supergirl still holding the door. They were looking at each other and Lena honestly didn't know what to do. She had apologized, gave the drive and thanked her. What else there was?

"Scoot over." she ordered with a littler laugh.

"You don't have to escort me."

"I dragged you here, it's only fair."

Lena chucked and moved to make the room for Supergirl, "How gallant of you." it came out a bit more sarcastic that she intended.

She gave the driver the address and asked him to treat them like anyone else.

"Everything for Supergirl." he replied enthusiastically.

Along the way Lena was observing her companion from the corner of her eye, absorbing every little thing – her half smile, the way she crinkles her eyes and fiddles nervously with the cape… clearly, Lena was less inconspicuous than she believed because Supergirl focused her attention on her. She didn't shy away from it. The blue eyes had a darker shade in them now, "What is your name?"

"My… I shouldn't, you know-"

"I know you shouldn't. I've learned your cousin's name, real name I mean. I'm sure his human name is not Kal-el. So instead of calling you Supergirl, is there any other name I could use?"

It was clear she was struggling, debating if she should reveal something.

"It's just I don't go around…" Lena glanced at the driver, she wasn't completely sure he wasn't listening so she mouthed 'kissing'"… people whose names I don't know. Not that I would do that with you again, as I said…" she was starting to babble, she did that when she liked someone. Either that or she would open up too quickly. No wonder she had almost no one. She exhaled slowly and forced a smile, "Can we forget I even asked?"

After a pause that felt longer than it really was, a response came, "If that's what you want."

"I do."

"Then, I guess-"

"We're here." the driver announced.

"Well… thank you for escorting me. And I hope the information I gave you will be of some use."

"If it is, I'll owe you."

Lena squeezed Supergirl's hand on an impulse, her fingertips sensing the quickened pulse under the wristband. She was about to bolt out of the cab but the radiating smile on Supergirl's face changed her whole perspective… which made her bolt for an almost entirely different reason, "I have to go. Good luck."

Had she stayed she would have seen the baffled Supergirl followed by "What the hell just happened?"

* * *

Lena was never the type of girl who shied away from a challenge. Business or personal – she would meet it head on. Though, she did learn to distance herself from the things that could cause personal problems, she had too many of them already. But this… which one was this? She supposed it would have to be both. Therefore it was odd even to herself this need to avoid. The need that seeped into many aspect of her life. She avoided talking to the press which resulted into many speculations the most outrageous of which being that she was hiding an alien destruction weapon. She avoided being alone in her office which resulted in Emily's constant presence. She felt bad about making the job difficult, especially when Kara showed up asking for information about the alien fight club. And Lena complied, no questions asked. She refused to let Emily leave the office as she scribbled the address sent to her by her boarding school friend (though friend is too strong a word). It was obvious Kara had more to discuss, but Lena was still processing things. It was too early. She was so determined in the avoidance that she went to every dreadful gala she could and stayed as long as she could bear to.

Of course that didn't last long. Two days after her short 'supervised' meeting with Kara, Supergirl showed up. This time she gave her heads up.

 _Can we talk tonight? Your office, after hours. S_

A message gave her enough opportunity to come up with an excuse... or just leave. It took a lot of debating on the decision which after an hour turned into the ramblings of a mad woman. And so the workday ended, she sent Emily home earlier and Supergirl showed up.

Lena sensed the whoosh of the cape upon landing. She fixed her shirt and swirled in her chair.

"Hey." Supergirl smiled shyly and Lena bit her lip to stop herself from doing the exact same.

"What…" she shifted in her chair, "What brings you here?"

She entered the office minding every step. Lena pointed to the sofa and Supergirl winced as she sat down.

Lena quickened her step (what was happening to her?!) and sat close by Supergirl, "Please, tell me you're not hurt."

Surprised by the concern, Supergirl's cheeks reddened, "Oh, I fought a giant. Twice, so it takes time to recover… but you should see the other guy."

"Well, aren't you humble." Lena teased.

"Hey! I busted down that fight club. Let me enjoy it."

"So, Veronica's…"

"She's free. Somebody bailed her out."

"I can't say I'm surprised."

Supergirl huffed

"I wish I could have been of more help."

"No, I wasn't… I didn't come here to complain or blame you or-"

"I just promised myself to stay out of alien business as much as I can. Which is proving more difficult than I imagined."

"And here I come talking about alien business."

"And here you come proving to me I was wrong."

That piqued her interest.

"And I rarely admit to being wrong."

"No surprise there." she worked her comment in.

"Which makes you really something else."

"Well, that's…" and there was that smile again, "Thank you."

"Can you do something for me?" This was it. Now or never, "Nothing big, trust me."

The blonde agreed reluctantly.

"Just close your eyes for 10 seconds and that's it… I'm not gonna do anything 'Luthor'."

"I guess I can do that."

Supergirl stiffened but closed her eyes. Lena shuffled through her bag (why is it always so hard to find anything in there?) and finally found the glasses case. Quickly she put the glasses on Supergirls face. That was that. She grinned triumphantly.

Supergirl opened her eyes wide, looking like deer in the headlights.

"There we go." Lena smiled, "Kara."

"I… am… so… this isn't…" she stumbled over her words. Lena found it charming, "When?"

"Recently. And now that I see it, I'm ashamed it took me so long."

"I-"

"My suggestion is to work on your facial expression. It gives you away." Lena, on the other hand, knew how to subdue her reactions and was acting confidently like all this was no big deal.

"Alex is so going to kill me." Supergirl (or Kara now that the theory had been confirmed her) breathed out.

Amused, Lena watched her hop off the sofa.

"I'm usually careful with the identity thing, you know." she was pacing, fiddling with her fingers, "It's either one or… not many people know. And those who do are, well…"

Lena approached her and grabbed her by the shoulders, "Kara?"

"Yeah?"

"Breathe."

She nodded, slowly exhaling.

"I can't believe that the two amazing women are actually one."

"You think I'm amazing?" she tilted her head, "As Kara?"

"Why do you think you're the only reporter who's allowed to get past the front desk?"

"Oh, I didn't… realize that." she pushed her hair back, "This is so not how I imagined telling you."

Lena straighten up more and crossed her arms. Surely, she wasn't serious, "You thought about it? Telling me?" she asked as if it was the most ludicrous idea ever. It probably was in the top ten.

"Eventually. I mean I had a feeling… well, I have a feeling I can trust you." she smiled.

Lena never believed it possible, but her heart was swelling with joy. She wrapped her arms around Kara. Kara's body eventually relaxed into it and Lena felt warm hands tracing the invisible path on her back. The feeling was like a distant, fond memory rushing back to her.

"Thank you." she whispered and pulled away.

"For what?"

"For not wiping my memory." she giggled nervously, "For trusting me. If that is the case."

"It is." she took her hand, "I'm choosing to."

For the first time in her life, Lena wished for superpowers. She wished she could steady her heard and replay those words over and over again. Kara pulled her closer and Lena wanted to kiss her so badly. But she said she wouldn't do that. She would not act like an idiot again, not now when there was much more at stake. But then Kara's lips were on hers. Soft, timid and almost non-intrusive. It was a peck of a kiss and now Kara was staring at her, reading the reaction.

"Have I read this all wrong?"

Lena was standing still, petrified, unsure what to do or say.

"'Cause you know who I am and it's mutual- at least I thought it was and I guess I should put this on my top embarra-

"No." Lena shook off her confusion, "No. it is. Is it?"

She let out a breathy laugh. Nodding, she swooped in, bridging the gap between them once again.

Lena caught her bottom lip between hers and smiled into a kiss, "We are so screwed, aren't we?" she mumbled when they stopped to catch a breath.

"Yeah, pretty much. But I don't want to think about it right now."

"No, me neither."

Tomorrow, she thought. Not tonight. Because at that moment, their world was just the two of them.

* * *

 **This is it for now I guess. I might continue some day and tie up some loose ends. Though I was thinking about a story focused more on Lillian and Lena, but we'll see. Thank you all for the response.**


End file.
